Kerala launches probe into illegal private schools, promises strict action against rule violators: Education Minister Sivankutty

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: THE Kerala Education Department started a investigation to discover the proliferation of mushrooms private schools in the state which operates in violation of the rules, Minister of General Education V Sivankutty said here on Wednesday. He said the Director of Public Instruction had been directed to conduct the survey in all districts with the help of his youth education officers to identify these schools.
“Strict action will be taken against such schools,” Sivankutty said.
At a press conference here, he also hinted at action against aided schools in Kerala which still collect huge sums of money from parents for “donations” or construction funds.
“We need to put an end to this. Kerala is a state where the state government is investing heavily in public education and its infrastructure. So we are launching an investigation to identify schools that are operating in violation of Kerala rules . Education rules” said Sivankutty.
He said that today in Kerala, the situation is such that anyone can rent a house, hold a school board and open a school, where students do not even have space to gather.
“They appoint teachers without any qualifications, design their own syllabus, decide their own exam dates and questions, and award grades themselves. They also collect huge fees from parents – not just fees tuition, but money under almost 10 different headings,” the minister said.
He said these schools are operating in complete violation of existing rules and are not providing systematic education to students.
“For children in preschool classes, education is not just about studying books. They develop their personality and character through interaction with peers, games and gatherings. These schools do not have the means to promote such activities,” Sivankutty added.
The minister said that at present the government does not have the actual number of such schools functioning in Kerala and the survey will bring out these figures.
He was holding a press conference to launch the E-Cube Hindi language lab for students of upper primary classes to help them learn communicative Hindi better.
Sivankutty said the government agenda now wants every student to learn at least two other languages ​​besides their mother tongue, and ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) has an important place in public education.
The government previously launched the E-Cube English Language Lab to help students become better proficient in communicative English.
He said the government school festival would be held in Thiruvananthapuram from January 4 to 10, where over 15,000 students will compete in over 249 subjects.